Darkest India eBook

of India have left this interesting relic of ancient
times untouched, so that the institution can be seen
in complete working order at the present day all over
India. The onward march of civilisation has somewhat
shaken the fabric and has threatened the existence
of several of the village industries. But at
present there has not been any radical alteration.
The village may still be seen divided up into its various
quarters.

Take for instance a village in Gujarat. Those
substantial houses in the centre belong to the well-to-do
landowners. The cultivators or tenants have their
quarters close alongside. The group of huts belonging
to the weavers is easily distinguishable by the rude
looms and apparatus for the manufacture of the common
country cloth. The tanners’ quarter is
equally well marked, and yonder the groups at work
with mud and wheel and surrounded with earthenware
vessels of various shapes and sizes, remind you that
you are among the Potters.

On inquiring into the interior economy of the village
a system of payment in kind and exchange of goods
for labour and grain is found to prevail exactly similar
to that suggested by General Booth. Only here
we have the immense advantage that instead of having
to explain and institute a radical reform in the existing
system, we have to deal with millions of people who
are thoroughly imbued with these principles from their
infancy.

For instance one of the staple articles of food in
the village consists of buttermilk, which is distributed
by the high caste among the low caste from year’s
end to year’s end in return for petty services.
One of the usual ways in which the high caste will
punish the low, for any course of conduct to which
they object is by the terrible threat of stopping
their supply of “chas,” which means usually
nothing short of starvation.

Here then is our model in good working order and in
exact accordance with the ideal sketched out by General
Booth. We cannot do better than adhere to it
as closely as possible.

Probably the first industrial settlement which we
shall establish, in addition to the labor yards and
suburban farms already referred to, will consist of
a colony of Weavers in Gujarat.

For this we shall have special facilities, as we have
now 150 Officers at work in that part of the country,
as well as more than 2,000 enrolled adults, a large
proportion of whom have been in our ranks for several
years. From amongst these we shall be able to
select thoroughly reliable superintendents (both European
and Native), and shall be able to take full advantage
of their local experience.

But how far we shall consider it wise to confine our
first settlement to one particular caste or to include
within it from the outset some other useful village
industries such as have been above referred to, I
am not as yet prepared to say. Much will necessarily
depend on the course that events may hereafter take.
For the present I can only say that we will adhere
as closely as possible to our Indian model.